Before Lily could answer, Ryan interrupted. "The real question is, who are you, Eleanor?"
"What do you mean?" Eleanor asked, her confusion evident. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
"You used that sleep spell on those guards, suggesting you have some kind of psychic affinity, but then you used a fireball. I may be new to this world, but that sounds like you have two different affinities."
Eleanor paused.
Ryan began to wonder, I hope i am not being an idiot, maybe 2 affinities is normal and I'm overreacting?
Eleanor hesitated, her gaze flickering between Ryan and Lily. "I am a hero," she finally admitted.
Not an overreaction then
Ryan's eyebrows shot up in surprise, a mixture of disbelief and intrigue crossing his features. "A hero? Like me?"
Eleanor nodded, a hint of relief in her expression. "Yes, that's right. I was chosen to be a hero and was sent here a few weeks ago to this forest."
"I see," he said, a newfound comfort for her settling in.
She could be from Earth!
"Wait, WHAT! You are both heroes." Said Lily, who had taken a moment to process this insane information.
Before the other two could respond, Lily suddenly out of the blue said, "We have to run, now!"
"What, why? It isn't daytime yet." The duo responded simultaneously.
"It's hard to explain, but there are elves coming to where we are right now!"
"What!" They immediately began scurrying down the tree.
"How do you know this?" Eleanor asked her urgently.
"I-I am a traitor..." Lily said softly, standing looking up to the sky, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.
"What do you mean, Lily? What's going on?" Asked Ryan, waving his hand in-front of her eyes, which quickly woke her out of her stupor.
Lily, ignoring Ryan's question immediately commanded, "Eleanor, use 'Dispello' on me quickly!"
"Dispello," said Eleanor, now understanding the situation.
Eleanor's eyes turned red as she looked at Lily, now understanding what she had done: "She's a spy for elves Ryan; we don't know how close they could be; we have to go now!" Her tone was full of spite.
"What about Lily?" Asked Ryan, his eye's full of concern.
"Forget her; she will only drag us down; she is going to get what's coming for her!" Said Eleanor who began dashing in a random direction, waving for Ryan to follow her.
"No, don't leave me behind; he will kill me! Please…" Lily's light blue eyes began to well up with tears and she grabbed onto Ryan's shirt.
Ryan turned to face Lily and said, "Without Eleanor I am as good as dead… I am sorry" Ryan pushed her hand away.
Ryan started running away, hearing Lily's shouts get further and further away, "DON'T LEAVE ME HERE, YO- YOU COWARDS!" until all went quiet once again.
"I'm sorry" Ryan whispered to himself.
After a few minutes, the duo were now a long distance away and very tired, so they went at a walking pace to catch their breath.
"Don't just trust anyone; that was stupid of you, Ryan, especially when they just randomly appear in an elf forest!" Eleanor shouted, furious at Ryan, "This isn't the world you came from; everyone does anything to survive!"
Lily's POV…
Tears were flowing down her face, not only due to the regret of causing many other escaped humans to die, but because she knew her coming fate.
'Crack' the snap of a twig echoed around in the moonlit forest followed by another crack and then a cackling laughter.
"Woah, Lily, you really messed up! You could have been given your freedom if you gave up those two heroes! Hahaha!" A towering elf appeared behind a tree, his ears as sharp as a knife. A grin was etched along his face, and his eyes were bloodshot with joy at the sight of Lily.
"Ho-how do you know that they are heroes?" Said Lily.
"What, you thought that all I did was cast a tracking spell? Hahaha, you truly are an idiot, every last one of you!" He spitted, which was followed by a swoosh.
Lily's chest opened, and her guts quickly spilled out.
A face of terror was her last act.
The elf wiped his sword clean on her shoulder.
"Damn it! Some of your shitty blood's in my hair!" He said, examining his jet black hair.
Ryan's POV…
"I'm still slightly confused. What happened?" Ryan's tone was earnest and his brows furrowed.
"Lily was working for elves; what most likely happened was that Lily was captured by elves, forced to find humans and rebels, and then give away their positions so that the elves could kill and capture them. The Elves probably sent her into this forest because of those two Elves that Toris murdered," explained Eleanor.
"What will happen to Lily now?" Ryan's concern was palpable as he sought answers.
"I think you can guess, Ryan, but for now we need to stop thinking about Lily and keep on running; the elf using Lily is probably on our tail right now, and before you ask, no, I can't use 'Rejuvenis' on you; I am nearly out of mana and I cannot waste any more."
Damn, she read my mind.
The sun now shone through the trees; it was now morning and the duo had not stopped walking.
"So, Eleanor, now that we are in the middle of a forest, lost, hungry and tired, what's the plan?" Asked Ryan.